She didn’t know how long theystayed there. There was no concept of time. No end to her. No beginning to him. Just a mishmash of teeth and lips and tongues.
She kissed him until she ran out of breath.
Then she kissed him some more.
All the while, that voice in her head screamed obscenities, called her every dirty name in the book. But her body had already switched sides, her uterus yelling that it wanted to haveall his babies and pleading with that voice to give up and come to the Dark Side too.
No. No.No!
Sanity reasserted itself, and Emily ripped her mouth from his, stepping back on legs that were almost too shaky to hold her. She dropped her head, shielding her face with her hair. She couldn’t let him see how much he affected her. How much shewantedhim.
“I th-think that’s enough ofa demonstration of my p-prowess,” she stuttered, wiping a hand over her tingling lips. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to rub the taste of him away or rub it in.
He dragged in a heavy breath, then seemed to have to force it back out when he was done with it. She glanced at his face to find his gaze hot, heavy, and colored with frustration. He looked ready to blow up or implode. Like a beautiful,dark star.
“I want you, Emily,” he blurted.
Never accuse the man of beating around the bush. And the way he said her name made her feel like he was caressing her body with his strong, heavy hands. Which hehadbeen, right before she remembered he was persona non grata and stepped out of his trance-inducing embrace.
“I think you want me too,” he added.
The sound of her heart’s furiouspace was thunder in her ears. “B-but you don’t like me. You always pick fights with me.”
A muscle ticked beneath his eye. “Who picks fights with whom?”
Whom?Whom?Did people actually use that word?
Still, he had a point. Since day one, she’d given him shit at every turn. Partly because it was fun. Partly because she loved it when he glowered at her so menacingly. Partly because, likeshe insisted to everyone else,someonehad to keep his ego in check. But mostly because it was a way of engaging with him, of flirting and teasing and provoking him with their clotheson.
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Chicken or egg. The point is, I irritate you to no end. In fact, if memory serves, you said I was as vexing as a housefly.”
“Youareas vexing as a housefly. I like it.”
Oh, he had to stop saying things like that!
“Which brings me around to somethingelseyou said,” she added, rushing ahead.
“And what was that?”
“That it’s been a really long time since you’ve been laid. And that your…” Her eyes drifted down to the fly of his jeans. Oh jeez.Thatwas a mistake. She ripped her gaze back to his face. “Your…uh…”—she swallowed and motioned toward hispackage—“didn’t have anything to do withme.”
“I lied.”
Ho-kay. She had to sit down. It was either that or fall down. She wanted to blame her sudden dizziness on skipping lunch, but it had everything to do with Christian and the words coming out of his mouth.
How her legs carried her the ten feet to the sofa, she would never know. But she thanked her lucky stars they did.Screw grace.She didn’t attempt any as she collapsed onto the cushions, grimacing when the leather couch squeaked in affront.
After a brief hesitation, Christian settled into the chair across from her like all big, sturdy men did. Slowly. Confidently. Stretching his long legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankles.
After a beat, when it became obvious she wasn’t going to be the one toget the ball rolling again, his mouth twisted wryly. “Record this day for posterity. I’ve rendered Emily Scott speechless.”
His self-satisfied smirk was just the kick in the pants she needed. “Why did you lie?”
“Pride.” He said the word without hesitation. “I didn’t think you felt the same for me, so I figured it was better if I kept how I felt about you on the DL.”
“Don’t try to use’hood-rat lingo. Just sounds silly.” Here he was giving her all kinds of truths, and she was lying through her teeth. Because honestly, that smooth baritone paired with that delicious accent sounded good, like an invitation to sin, no matter which words he used.
“I’ll have you remember I’ve been living and working in Chicago for years now,” he said. “And given the shop”—that’s how they referredto BKI headquarters—“isn’t located in the nicest part of town, I think I’ve earned the right to adopt the lexicon.”
